I was born in '98, in the midst of what I believed was a nuclear war.
It wasn't, which I guess was good for the planet, but not for me, because it meant I was lied to for my whole life.
And once you break out of the liar's den, they will do all they can to push you back down into it again.
Otherwise, you might let the light in for the others.
All her life Nia has been told, and has believed, a lie. Living in a chain of bunkers in a secluded community, the Den, getting out doesn't end with her escaping. Hunted by the Watchers and not knowing who she can trust, even in her new life, she is followed everywhere by the reasons for her flight, and the memory of the people she left behind, in the Den.
And getting them out means going back in first.
Elliot's partner was his whole world, but after Allan's death, his ghost haunts Elliot's dreams. Everyone tells Elliot to move on, but he isn't sure he can.
*****
It's been a year since the love of Elliot's life, Allan, passed away. Everyone thinks he should have recovered after that much time, but Allan still haunts Elliot every night. He struggles to maintain relationships with his family, and despite a coworkers interest he can't summon up the courage to date. Elliot is living for the past, because to live for the present means he'll have to live with a hole in his heart. But the question Elliot has to face chases him through his monotonous days: is mourning Allan with everything he has truly living?
[[word count: 40,000-50,000 words]]